Manchester City's £14m transfer fee for Julian Alvarez is looking better value with every game he plays for River Plate.
On Sunday, he scored his 15th and 16th goals of an increasingly productive season, as well as taking his tally of assists up to six with two impressive through-balls to River Plate teammates. In just 20 games, Alvarez is averaging a goal contribution every 77 minutes.
That is the kind of productivity that just might get him into a very competitive City forward line, and his comments post-match about valuing his role in the build-up as much as scoring will be music to Pep Guardiola's ears. However, as Alvarez's stock continues to rise, an increasing problem is starting to present itself.
ALSO READ: Julian Alvarez has hand in four goals ahead of Man City move including incredible assist
Given his prolific form for River, the talk has moved from 'if' Alvarez would join City for pre-season next month to 'when' he'll link up with his new squad. City have already decided not to loan him out again, and will give him a chance to force his way into Guardiola's plans, even with Erling Haaland's arrival and plenty of other top attacking options.
River have always said he will leave them after their Copa Libertadores last-16 second leg tie, despite attempts to keep him until the end of their domestic season in December. That last-16 game is scheduled for July 3, and if City still want him for pre-season, they begin their trip to the USA for two games less than two weeks later.
On the one hand, Alvarez would be up to speed faster than his teammates, having been playing since the start of February, and could be a secret weapon for the start of the new season.
But on the other hand, this is a young player facing a solid 18 months of regular games between the start of his 2022 season with River and the end of his 2022/23 season with City. In that time he could have as little as a two-week break, and play over 100 times.
With 20 appearances for River this year, and up to four more in the next fortnight, Alvarez would then have just 18 days before City's first pre-season friendly against Club America in Houston next month. That would be the first of up to 77 games he could play for club and country next season, as he's set to be part of Argentina's World Cup squad in December.
In total, Alvarez could play 101 games in 503 days with a minimal break in a couple of weeks to rest and reset. However good he looks, that's not a sustainable workload, so City have to manage his integration next season to account for a possible burnout in the months to come.
Every goal he scores is a boost for City, so they must remember a long-term approach will benefit all parties going forward rather than asking him to replicate his River Plate form as soon as he lands in Manchester.
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
